It’s time to let go of brittle plans and learn to love conditions.
Friend and bodhisattva Tasshin offers us a vital lesson today on Taoist strategy:
As I encounter Tasshin’s teachings afresh and revisit Taoist strategic thought through the lens of Derek M. C. Yuen, the following comparison emerges.
Means-Ends | Conditions-consequences |
We assume the situation is uncertain and chaotic. We must fight against it to make it better. | We assume the situation has a natural, inevitable tendency. Instead of resisting it, we allow ourselves to be carried along by it, flowing with it. |
We make plans and carry them out, forcing things to happen. | We identify favorable conditions, intervene upstream to cultivate them, and allow the situation to unfold. |
We want to achieve one particular future as soon as we can. | We will arrive at one of many possible good futures in the long term, but we don’t know which one in advance. |
In alignment work, one might make an intricate plan to achieve a particular state of alignment and coordination.
Or, one might garden the conditions that make alignment inevitable… such as investing in relationships (up, down, left, right), being predictable and trustworthy, and making sure people witness their actions impacting others. In the long term, there is no question that alignment will occur if these conditions thrive.
What conditions are favorable to cuitivate in your world?
Ben and David
StrategyTeaming.com